OK, looking for a dodge durango in the early body style around a 200 year, what is the best motoir/tranny combo or year for best mpg,

I know tune-up, driving style has alot to do with it but what are typical mpg's on this vehicle. I really like the way this suv looks and want to get on in the dark gray color but I do not want to make a mistake by getting the wrong year or engine.

I may do a few things to it to get better mpg suck as a good CAI and maybe a free flowing exhaust that normally helps and creates good sound.

Any info or opinions welcomed.

 

I have a 2001 R/T which gives me 16 - 18 highway/12 - 13 city, a lot of that depends which way the wind is blowing but IMHO that goes for most large vehicles. All I have is a custom CAI. No suspension mods and no over sized tires.

 

Good Gas Mileage and Durango is an automotive oxymoron. From what I have read I believe you will get the best mpg with the 4.7.

 

this guy is right, on both counts, i have a 4.7 4x4 and i can get 16/20 city/highway, but the ideal (most efficient) combination would be an 03 with the 4.7 and 2wd (less weight to move = better mpgs) 03 was the last year for this body style and it also came with the 545 transmission in it

 

ok, so the 4.7 seems the way to go, whitch is what I was expecting. Also 4wd is a must as I want to use this vehicle there mostly.

I do not want over sized tirea at all.

I am also thinging of a dakata in the same year. 4.7 with that also I guess, little lighter as well may get better mpg.

what is the deal with the 545 tranny vs the other?

 

the 545 is a 5 speed and the 45 is a 4 speed, thats all, the 03s got the firmware flash on the TCM for the 5th gear and the earlier trucks did not, if the TCM is seperate from the PCM then it has the 45, if the pcm/tcm is all one unit then it has the 545

 

Ok, another gear where. is it another over drive ratio?

My dodge ram now has the 727 1st 2.45 2nd 1.45 3rd 1:1 ratio no OD
there is a 518 conversion with od same as the 727 but with a .7 OD ration in 4th.

Now if the 5 speed auto has a 5th ratio of .7 then the extra gear is in the middle somewhere, right? or is 5th another taller od?



The more I think about this the more I lean more towards trying to get better mpg from my truck.

no it is a 88 dodge ram 440 swap 3.90 gear 31x12.5 tires 2500 stall gets 9.1 mpg not to bad for a full time transfer case (np203) 3.90's with no OD and a stall.

That motor has a lot of TQ so I was thinking of swapping to a 518 with a tighter stall 2000 or so. I think the stall alone may get 1 mpg, the )D unit us usually good for 30-40% with speeds over 45mph, maybe another 2-3 mpg. A later style t-case that doesn't weigh 200lbs like the np203 and is not full time may help slightly. I'm thinking this may get near 13-14 mpg on highway, may still only get 9-10 in town.

compare that to the durango or any new truck and and I'm within a few mpg's.

I would love to have a newer vehicle, but the cheapest dursngo I found that was in good condition was $3500, not bad I thought, but I can do all this stuff for maybe $1200 depending on the deals I get from craigslist. On top of that having another vehicle is more insurance, more personal property tax, sales tax, getting plates, etc.

I want to keep the truck so maybe I'll be best off trying to update it some more for the better mpg's.

If anyone elso has ideas on better mpg let me know, And also still want to keep the 440. If there is a web site about mpg shoot me the link.

 

i have a 2003 durango 4.7L AWD. I get about 17 or slightly lower on the highway and city is low like between 9 and 10mpg since I drive short distances all the time. Is 17 on the highway about average for the AWD or is there things I can check or do to get better gas mileage?

 

Well i also have a 2001 Durango SLT it has the 5.9 in it 4x4 bridgestone A/T ive taken it thought stuff that u wouldn't think it should but did. just has K/N and mangna flow single exust 3inch all the was and 3 1/2 inch tip sounds good but needs a new cat. quite fast actually and mpg all depends on ur foot. go easy around town we usally get about 16 mpg. highway at 70 got 20 last time i drove with 87 in it. if u got a heavy foot i counted about 8 mpg... so the 4.7 is good on mpg, but the 5.9 is good for the modifications

 

Do you really need 4wd? The 2003 4.7 2wd does get the best mileage. If you are looking for a 4wd, try to find one without the 3.55 gears. They are the worst in mileage because those gears tend to lug down the engine too much in city unless you drive with OD off.